2012 West Virginia Code
CHAPTER 18A. SCHOOL PERSONNEL
ARTICLE 3C. IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING.
§18A-3C-2. Performance evaluations of professional personnel.

(a) The intent of the Legislature is to allow for a multi-step statewide implementation of performance evaluations for professional personnel pursuant to this section consistent with sound educational practices and resources available resulting in full state-wide implementation by no later than the school year 2013-2014. Beginning with the schools included in the evaluation processes for professional personnel piloted by the Department of Education during the 2011-2012 school year, additional schools or school systems shall be subject to the provisions of this article in accordance with a plan established by the state board to achieve full statewide implementation by no later than the school year 2013-2014. For schools and school systems subject to the provisions of this article, the provisions of this article shall govern when they are in conflict with other provisions of this chapter and chapter eighteen of this code. Specifically, the provisions of this article govern for the performance evaluation of classroom teachers, principals and assistant principals employed in these schools and school systems. To the extent that this article conflicts with the provisions of section twelve, article two of this chapter relating to professional personnel performance evaluations, this article shall govern. The state board shall submit a report on its plan for the phased implementation of this article to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability at the Commission's July interim meeting in each year of the phased implementation. The report shall include an update on the implementation of this article including, but not limited to the evaluation process and a list of the schools and school systems subject to the provisions of this article. To assist the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability in monitoring the implementation of this article, the state board shall report to the Commission upon its request throughout the implementation process, including but not limited to, reports on the results of surveys of teachers and principals on the implementation and use of the new evaluation system, the adequacy of the professional development given to employees on the purposes, instruments and procedures of the evaluation process, the time consumed by the evaluation process and the various tasks required for employees of different levels of experience, the aggregate results of the evaluations and any recommendations for changes in the process or other aspects of the duties of affected employees to improve the focus on the core mission of schools of teaching and learning.

(b) Before July 1, 2013, the state board shall adopt a legislative rule in accordance with article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, for evaluating the performance of each professional person each year. The state board shall submit a draft of the proposed rule to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability by February 15, 2013, and a final draft proposed rule prior to adoption. The rule shall provide for performance evaluations of professional personnel to be conducted in accordance with this section in each school and school system beginning with the 2013-14 school year.

(c) (1) The process adopted by the state board for evaluating the performance of classroom teachers shall incorporate at least the following:

(A) Alignment with the West Virginia professional teaching standards adopted by the state board that establish the foundation for educator preparation, teacher assessment and professional development throughout the state;

(B) Employment of the professional teaching standards to provide explicit and extensive measures of the work of teaching and what teachers must know and be able to do and provide evaluative measures of educator performance;

(C) The use of two pieces of evidence at two points in time over the instructional term to demonstrate student learning as an indicator of educator performance; and

(D) The use of school's school-wide student learning growth as measured by the state-wide summative assessment as an evaluative measure of all educators employed in the school.

(2) Eighty percent of the evaluation shall be based on an appraisal of the educator's ability to perform the critical standard elements of the professional teaching standards. The appraisal shall include conferences with the evaluator reinforced through observation. Fifteen percent of the evaluation shall be based on evidence of the learning of the students assigned to the educator in accordance with paragraph (C), subdivision (1) of this subsection, and five percent of the evaluation shall be based on student learning growth measured by the school-wide score on the state summative assessment in accordance with paragraph (D), subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(d) (1) The process adopted by the state board for evaluating the performance of principals and assistant principals shall include at least the following:

(A) Alignment with the West Virginia professional leadership standards adopted by the state board establishing the responsibility of principals for the collective success of their school including the learning, growth and achievement of students, staff and self;

(B) Employment of the professional leadership standards to provide explicit and extensive measures of the work of school leadership focused on the continuous improvement of teaching and learning. The process shall include conferences and goal setting with the superintendent or his or her designee and the use of a survey of stakeholders to assist in identifying the needs and establishing the goals for the school and the principal. The survey shall be distributed to at least the following stakeholders: Students, parents, teachers and service personnel. The evaluative measures shall include the use of data, evidence and artifacts to confirm the principal's performance on achieving the goals established by the principal and superintendent;

(C) The use of two pieces of evidence at two points in time over the instructional term to demonstrate the growth in student learning at the school; and

(D) The use of the school's school-wide student learning growth as measured by the state-wide summative assessment as an evaluative measure of all educators employed in the school.

(2) Eighty percent of the evaluation shall be based on an appraisal of the principal's or the assistant principal's ability to perform the critical standard elements of the professional leadership standards and achieve the goals established for the principal and the school. Fifteen percent of the evaluation shall be based on evidence of the learning of the students assigned to the school in accordance with paragraph (C), subdivision (1) of this subsection, and five percent of the evaluation shall be based on student learning growth measured by the school-wide score on the state summative assessment in accordance with paragraph (D), subdivision (1) of this subsection.

(e) Evaluations of the performance of professional personnel shall serve the following purposes:

(1) Serve as a basis for the improvement of the performance of the professional personnel in their assigned duties;

(2) Serve as the basis for providing professional development specifically targeted on the area or areas identified through the evaluation process as needing improvement. If possible, this targeted professional development should be delivered at the school-site using collaborative processes, mentoring or coaching or other approaches that maximize use of the instructional setting;

(3) Serve as the basis for establishing priorities for the provision of county-level professional development when aggregate evaluation data from the county's schools indicates an area or areas of needed improvement;

(4) Serve as a basis for informing the teacher preparation programs in this state of an area or areas of needed improvement in the programs, or informing a specific program of needed improvement, when state-level aggregate evaluation data indicates that beginning teachers who have graduated from the program have specific weaknesses;

(5) Provide an indicator of level of performance of the professional personnel;

(6) Serve as a basis for programs to increase the professional growth and development of professional personnel; and

(7) Serve as documentation for a dismissal on the grounds of unsatisfactory performance.

(f) The rule adopted by the state board shall include standards for performance of professional personnel and the criteria to be used to determine whether their performance meets the standards. The rule also shall include guidance on best practices for providing time within the school day for teachers subject to performance evaluations under this section to participate in the collaborative mentoring or coaching and planning processes necessary for execution of the performance evaluation process and achieving advanced levels of performance.

(g) The rule adopted by the state board shall include provisions for written improvement plans when necessary to improve the performance of the professional personnel. The written improvement plan shall be specific as to what improvements are needed in the performance of the professional personnel and shall clearly set forth recommendations for improvements including recommendations for additional education and training of professionals subject to recertification. Professional personnel whose performance evaluation includes a written improvement plan shall be given an opportunity to improve his or her performance through the implementation of the plan.

(h) A professional person whose performance is considered to be unsatisfactory shall be given written notice of his of her deficiencies. A written improvement plan to correct these deficiencies shall be developed by the employing county board and the employee. The professional person shall be given a reasonable period of time, not exceeding twelve months, to accomplish the requirements of the improvement plan and shall receive a written statement of the resources and assistance available for the purposes of correcting the deficiencies. If the next performance evaluation shows that the professional is now performing satisfactorily, no further action may be taken concerning the original performance evaluation. If the evaluation shows that the professional is still not performing satisfactorily, the evaluator either shall make additional written recommendations for improvement or may recommend the dismissal of the professional personnel in accordance with the provisions of section eight, article two of this chapter.

(i) No person may evaluate professional personnel for the purposes of this section unless the person has an administrative certificate issued by the state superintendent and has successfully completed education and training in evaluation skills through the center for professional development, or equivalent education training approved by the state board, which will enable the person to make fair, professional, and credible evaluations of the personnel whom the person is responsible for evaluating.

(j) Prior to implementation of the evaluation process pursuant to this section at a school, each affected employee shall be given training to ensure that the employees have a full understanding of the purposes, instruments and procedures used in evaluating their performance. Thereafter, this training shall be held annually at the beginning of the employment term.